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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

God made human beings like
Himself? Really? I often cling so tightly to ME that I wonder how others could
possibly see God in me. Yet 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Surely you know that you
are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you!”

So, if God made us to be like
Him, and His Spirit lives within us, what SHOULD we be like? Galatians 5: 22-23
says, “The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, humility, and self-control.”

I don’t know about you, but I
just can’t live up to that on my own. In order to show the world what God is
like, I need help. Only God’s Holy Spirit can replace envy with His love, despondency
with His joy, worry with His peace, anger with His patience, rudeness with His
kindness, selfishness with His goodness, disloyalty with His faithfulness, pride
with His humility, and overindulgence with His self-control.

Known as the “Fruits of the
Spirit”, these attributes will only be evident when we invite God’s Spirit to
work as the Master Gardener in the orchard of our souls—feeding, watering, pruning,
and harvesting—through Scripture, prayer, the fellowship of other Christians,
and walking in faith.

Through His people, others are able to see God. I want to reflect all the goodness that is His. Amy
Grant’s song, “Father’s Eyes” says it best. Have a listen! Will you join Amy and me in praying that when others look at you and me, they would see our Heavenly Father?

The last
couple weeks have been trying. A check up with the heart doctor led to my 82
year-old mom having a stress test and then heart catheterization. One of my
routine exams showed some discrepancies from previous years, so further tests
await me.

On top of
these stresses, have been some bittersweet celebrations. This past Sunday was
our Confirmation service for 14 young people, one of whom I was privileged to
mentor. What a blessed occasion!

Unfortunately,
our grandson Kodey’s Confirmation was the same day, a conflict that we thought
we had carefully worked out months ago. Needless to say, we missed Kodey’s
service. L

There is
more but you get the picture. Needless to say, I have not been in that quiet,
contented picture painted by Psalm 131. You know what I mean? I am sure each of
you has faced similar challenges and distresses.

If only I
could let go of matters I have no control over, rather than wracking my brain
for solutions. I want to lie quietly in my Heavenly Father’s arms instead of crossing
my arms and nursing my disappointment. I wish my heart would be quiet within
me, not pounding out of my chest with “what ifs”. I truly want to trust in the
Lord and be content and at peace.

I AM getting
there. Much of the peace infiltrating my troubled heart is directly related to
the prayers of so many friends and family members. Reminding myself of past
times when God worked out troubles for the good has also helped. And spending
quiet time in His presence, simply being, always brings a balm to my soul.

With God’s
help, I am beginning to see myself in the peace-filled picture from Psalm 131. Gradually,
I am letting go and trusting. I covet your prayers, my friends.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

“I try to read my Bible, and I do fine for a little while. Then
I get to all those laws about sacrifices and I lose interest. Do you have any
suggestions for how to study that will help me get more out of it?” a friend recently
asked.

I have been reading and studying the Bible for almost 40
years. During that time I have tried a number of methods that have worked for a
while and then have become more like a rut than a journey with Jesus. But isn’t
that human nature? We need variety in our lives to stay healthy physically and
mentally. Why would it be any different spiritually?

I see great advantage to shaking things up a bit from time
to time. It keeps God’s Word fresh and creates opportunities for the Holy
Spirit to speak. So here are a few techniques I have found effective in
gleaning more from God’s Word:

Journibles: A
Journible is simply a notebook in which we write out our very own copy of
Scripture. Before reading a passage, ask God to speak to your heart through it.
Prayerfully rewrite the Bible text on the left hand page. On the right hand
page, journal what you sensed God saying to you through it. How does this passage
make me feel—comforted? Corrected? Blah? How might the principles behind these
verses apply to a challenge I am facing right now? What action is God prompting
me to take, if any? How does my thinking need re-shaped, according to this
passage?

Bible Study Books and
Guides: There are lots of Bible studies available both online and in bookstores.
In their books, Bible teachers like Beth Moore, Lysa TerKeurst, Francis Chan, and
Max Lucado provide probing questions and insights to keep us motivated. Christianity
Today offers an article on the Top
10 Studies on Books of the Bible. I personally like the LifeGuide
Bible Study series available from Amazon.com. These booklets offer both
topical and whole book studies.

One, Two, or Three
Year Reading Plans: BibleGateway.com
and BibleStudyTools.com
both offer numerous Bible reading plans. When followed faithfully, the readings
cover the entire Bible in the specified time frame. These plans usually have a
few “catch-up” days built in, which are great for those times when our crazy
lives don’t follow “The Plan”.

Devotional Helps:
The Upper Room, The Secret Place, SacredSpace.ie, Crosswalk.com and Walk Thru
the Bible are just a few of the resources available for our daily quiet time
with Jesus. Each of these publications suggests a reading, prayers, and soul-searching
meditations to strengthen our connection with God.

How we go about reading God’s Word isn’t as important as the
life-changing truths we glean from it. But, if we are honest, we all can use a
little motivation and guidance along the way. What works for you? I would love
to share your ideas with my friend!

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

“The genius
of God's moral code is that everything He requires of us is for our own good.
Anything less than obedience to God is not only disappointing to Him-it is
self-destructive. There is more than one reason for faithfulness to His Word.”
~QuietWalk.org

When we
criticize others, we open ourselves to criticism.

When we
gossip, we invite others to gossip about us.

When we show
disrespect, we receive disrespect in return.

When we
allow anger to rule our tongues, we fuel the fire of anger toward us.

When we don’t
take the time to pray, the busyness of the day steals our peace.

When we fail
to study God’s Word, we are easily led astray.

When we lie,
we spin a sticky web of deceit in which we ourselves become entangled.

When we
drink to excess, we poison our bodies and our relationships.

When we
reject God’s love for us, we find it impossible to love ourselves.